The Guardian reported Monday that a UK commission has called for statutory regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists, a move toward statutory oversight in professions where current oversight is voluntary. The Guardian said the proposal aims to protect clients and strengthen public confidence.
The Guardian reported the commission’s report as published, but the Partnership of Counselling and Psychotherapy Bodies’ (PCPB) project page described it as forthcoming later in 2026, and the PCPB resources page did not list it.
The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology says UK law does not reserve the titles for practitioners with specified credentials. People can use either title without belonging to a professional body or meeting set training requirements. The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) accredits organizations that maintain voluntary registers; practitioners do not register with the authority itself.
The PCPB says it launched the commission in October 2025 to review the professions, their evidence base and their future. The PCPB comprises six professional organizations, and the commission is co-chaired by Phil Hope and Andrea Sutcliffe.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) said in a May 2026 briefing that it would support statutory regulation if a model met its principles. These include protecting access to therapy and preserving a range of approaches. UKCP also called for a public register that would disclose sanctions and fitness-to-practise information.
In a March 3, 2026, parliamentary answer, Karin Smyth, speaking for the Department of Health and Social Care, said there were no current plans to extend statutory regulation or introduce minimum training and accountability standards for people providing counselling and psychotherapy. The answer said 10 organizations held related PSA-accredited registers at the time.
The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology says proposals to extend statutory regulation to the professions were made in 2007 but were not implemented.
